Universität Wien

123223 SE Literary Seminar / BA-Arbeit / MA American/North American Lit./Studies (2020W)

Human Enhancement and Artificial Intelligence in North American Fiction

11.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Moodle

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 18 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

Participants are expected to attend an international conference early in the semester as auditors. It will be organized as a hybrid event and will also be streamed. It will be accessible to students registered for the seminar. This program will also make up for sessions which will be canceled in November and / or December.

Due to the recent regulations as a result of the pandemic, the next sessions of the seminar will be conducted online. You will receive further information on access to the sessions on 18 and 25 November.

  • Mittwoch 07.10. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 14.10. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 21.10. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 28.10. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 04.11. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 11.11. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 18.11. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 25.11. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 02.12. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 09.12. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 16.12. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 13.01. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 20.01. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Mittwoch 27.01. 18:15 - 19:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

One of the major current topics of discussion is the possible realization of the perennial utopian dream of improving the human potential by applying medical drugs or technological means in order to increase the mental and physical capacities and cure illnesses or /and eliminate social evil. A related issue is the development of artificial intelligence which is increasingly applied and the rapid progress in this sphere, which has given rise to fears of risks resulting from the alleged superiority of robots and the possibility of putting the authentically human in jeopardy through the evolution of hybrids.
These potentially alarming possibilities depicted by modern authors will be considered in this seminar, which continues a debate begun in the preceding semester.
Among the literary texts written by American authors or Anglophone writers during their residence in North America will be Walker Percy’s dystopian novel The Thanatos Syndrome (1987), Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ? (1968), and Aldous Huxley’s late novel Island (1962). The long tradition of this contemporary concern with human enhancement will be indicated by an early story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”), while the fictional use of early robots will be illustrated by one of Isaac Asimov’s short stories (“Satisfaction Guaranteed”).

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

The seminar will offer an opportunity to discuss these texts in the light of the debate presented at an international interdisciplinary conference on "Artificial Intelligence and Human Enhancement" to be held in Vienna at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in October (29-31), which will bring many experts to Vienna. The participants are expected to attend the international conference as auditors. The program of the conference will also make up for some sessions which will be canceled in November and December (details will be announced in due course of time).

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Participants will submit a written seminar paper or bachelor paper, and offer an oral presentation. Regular attendance and active class participation are expected, though due to restrictions possibly resulting from Corona developments the course may eventually partly be taught online. There will be a final written test on the topic of the seminar.
Student presentation and written seminar paper, 50 %
Oral contributions in class and two written reports on sessions, one based on two lectures at the international conference 25%
Final essay test 25%

Prüfungsstoff

Students will have to be familiar with the chosen novels and the two stories jointly studied in class and able to consider them in the context of utopian and dystopian thinking.

Literatur

Walker Percy, “The Thanatos Syndrome”, Philip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, Aldous Huxley, “Island” (excerpts from the novel). Copies of the two short stories by N. Hawthorne and Isaac Asimov will be provided at the opening session. Copies of the novels chosen may be purchased ,e.g. at the bookstore Facultas on Campus.
A reserve shelf containing pertinent texts and studies will be accessible on the upper floor of the departmental library.

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Studium: UF 344, BA 612, MA 844; MA 844(2)
Code/Modul: UF 4.2.4-322, BA10.2, MA5, MA7; MA 4.1, 4.2
Lehrinhalt: 12-0375

Letzte Änderung: Fr 12.05.2023 00:16